Camera



July 6, 1937. w, FAAS 2,086,315

CAMERA Filed NOV. 2, 1955 gmmm WZZef Fm@ f v f Patented July 6, 1937Unirse stares CAMERA Walter Faas, San Diego, Calif.

Application November 2, 1935, Serial No. 48,026

i Claim.

This invention aims to provide a small, compact, simply made andinexpensive vest pocket camera so constructed that a long film may beused, thereby ena-bling the operator to take a large number oi pictureswithout changing the iilm, no paper backing for the nlm being required,and it being possible to open the camera at any time, cut oi the exposedportions oi the film and use the balance oi the nlm, no portion the lmbeing wasted. IThe invention aims, moreover, to supply a camera oi thetype scribed in which no nlm spools are required.

t is within "the province of the disclosure to improve generally and toenhance the utility of devices. of that type to which the inventionappertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement oi parts and in the details oi construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made Within thescope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit oi theinvention.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 shows, in bottom plan, a camera constructed in accordance withthe invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 -3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line l-li of Fig. 2.

The camera forming the subject matter of this application comprises anelongated box-like body l, the exact shape of which may be changedwithout departing from the spirit of the invention. The body i includesa iixed bottom 2. The body i is surmounted by a removable lid 3 having adepending ange 4 extended around the body. At one end of the body ithere is a stud 5, adapted to be received in an opening in the flangefi. A spring latch is secured at its lower end to the opposite end ofthe body i, within the body, the latch G being supplied at its upper endwith a nger l, slidable in an opening in the end oi the body l, andadapted to enter an opening in the ange i of the lid 3, the lid thusbeing held securely but removably upon the body i. An operating buttonSi is secured to the latch 6 and slides in the end of the body i, itbeing possible to push in the button 8, retract the iinger 'i out ofengagement with the flange of the lid 3, and take off the lid.

The front wall of the body I carries a lens and str the operator to holdthe body l in such pos ion that the lid is uppermost duringpicture-taking.

.e light tube i2 is attached by securing elements such as screws, to thebottom of the cody i and is disposed about the neck ci the lens andshutter mechanism S. The light tube Si extends backwardly to the rearwall of the body but is spaced from the rear wall by a i closelyapproximating the thickness of in Si. A frame ifi, having an openingiii, is secured to the rear end of the light tube l2 and orms partthereof, the edges ci the frame ii round-ed or convened, as shown at i5,to

The light tube extends between the bottom of the body and the lid 3, andforms, at one end or" the body, an unincumbered rst chamber p betweenthe frame and the rear wall of the body is nothing in the chamber il forthe mounting oi the usual spool that forms the core oi a commercialphotographic lm. The light tube l2 iorms, in the opposite end of thebody I, a second compartment i8, in which is located the mechanism foradvancing the film.

The mechanism last above referred to embodies a winding roller 2d, heldfor rotation in the bottom 2 oi the body i, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.The Winding roller 2d has a slot 25 for the reception or" one end 2S ofthe lm 3i, the unexposed portion oi the film being in the form o a roll2l, located in the chamber il. There is no occasion for providing a coreor spool for the roll 2l', since the tendency of the roll is to keep,with sufficient closeness, the form depicted in Fig. 4 of the drawing.The winding roller 2li makes it unnecessary to supply a receiving spoolfor the exposed portion of the lm. The winding roller 24 is providedwith a turning button 2S, disposed below the xed bottom 2 of the body iand provided with any suitable marking, such an arrow 29, indicating thedirection in which the roller 2li is to be turned.

From the roll 2i, the film 3i passes between the frame ifi and the rearwall of the body l to the Winding roller 24. As the lm leaves the frameM, it passes over a direction changing roller I9, disposed in the secondcompartment i8, near the rear end of the light tube l2 and supportedforrovent marring of the iilm, as the hlm passes y By unincumbered it ismeant that there tation in the bottom 2 of the body l, in the way shownin connection with the winding roller 2A in Fig. 2 of the drawing. Thedirection changing roller i9 constitutes, also, a part of an indicatingmechanism, and with that end in view, the roller I9 is supplied with ahead 20, visible below the bottom 2 of the body l, the head 2B earryingan indicator 2l, adapted to cooperate with a mark 23 on the bottom ofthe body l. The roller I9 is provided with a seat 32 adapted toy receivethe curved end of a friction brake 33, secured at 34 to one side wall ofthe light tube I2.

The operation of the device will be understood readily from what hasbeen stated hereinbefore. By means of the turning button 28, the roller24 is rotated, and the lm is wound upon the roller. The passage of thelm to the roller 24 is facilitated by the roller i9 and, furthermore,since rotation is imparted to the roller i9, the indicator 2l on thehead 2U of that roller, cooperating with the mark 23, instructs theoperator as to the amount that the button 28 should be turned, in orderto bring a new portion of the nlm behind the opening It of the lighttube l2 and in position to be exposed. The friction brake 33,cooperating with the roller i9, serves to prevent the film 3i fromshifting longitudinally to any unm desirable extent, after a portion ofthe lm has been positioned to receive the projected image. Thecircumference of the roller lil is equal to the width of the opening I6,and each time that the roller I9 makes a complete revolution,the brakewill snap into the seat 32 of the roller, thereby admonishing theoperator that a new length of r' film has been brought to the openingiii, for eX`- posure. The part 33, in view of the foregoing, serves notonly as a friction brake, but as an audible signal.

It is to be observed that, owing to the provision of the slotted windingroller 2d, and since the roll 27 is loose in the compartment il', noscrews are required. A very long film, for instance a motion picturefilm, may be used, and the operator can take many pictures upon oneiilm. t is a matter of common knowledge that, very often, two or threepictures are taken on a six-exposure film, for instance, and the balanceof the lm is wasted, because the photographer does not wish to make morepictures than the number specified. With the present invention, theoperation may take off the lid 3, sever the exposed portion of the lm,thread the end of the balance of the nlm into the slot 25 or" thewinding roller 24 and proceed with the making of more pictures, therebeing no wasting of the lm.

The device is simple in construction, but it will be found thoroughlyconvenient and capable of consummating the objects set forth in theopening portion of this specication, as Well as other objects which willsuggest themselves to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A camera comprising a box-like body, a lens carried by the front wall ofthe body, a light tube extended backwardly from the lens, a frame on therear end of the light tube and spaced from the rear wall of the body bythe thickness of a film, the light tube defining in one end of the bodyan unincumbered rst compartment in which a loose roll of lm may bemounted, and dening a second compartment in the opposite end of thebody, a winding shaft journaled in the second compartment, an idleroller journaled in the second compartment behind the winding shaft, arearwardly extended brake strip secured at one end to the light tube andhaving a free rear end, the idle roller being provided with a seatreceive ing the free end of the brake strip, one side of the frameprojecting laterally beyond the light tube and toward the idle roller,to prevent a lm from being caught between the brake strip and the seat,and the opposite side of the frame projecting laterally beyond the lighttube and into the rst compartment, and being rounded to guide a nlmacross the back of said frame and into the space between the frame andthe rear Wall of the body.

WALTER FAAS.

